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Friday, July 27, 2012

We love making our own fresh-from-the-garden libations! They're easy to make, refreshing (especially in the summer), delicious, and a great alternative to sugary drinks! Herbal-infused spa water is one of our favorites, like a combination of cucumber, lemon, and organic mint (orange and organic strawberries taste great, too).

But if you like more flavor, herbal teas and lemonade blends are easy and fun to make. Just a few days ago we hosted the American College's annual Lavender Open House on our campus in Portland, Oregon, and served lavender-infused water and lavender lemonade as part of the festivities. Everyone loved it! Plus, lavender-infused drinks are a great complement to lavender shortbread cookies (or any other lavender treat). Yum!

We thought you might enjoy the recipes from the ACHS Lavender Open House to try at your next picnic, party, or just because you're in the mood for a healthy, delicious drink. Thanks to ACHS Shipping Manager, Kelly Johnson, for putting these recipes together!

We used organic, dried lavender flowers (double quantity if using fresh herbs). Add lavender to 6 cups hot water. Cover and let steep for 5-8 minutes. Strain brewed lavender water and add to lemonade. Combine with plenty of ice and filtered water. For garnish, combine with fresh-picked lavender sprigs, lemon wheels, and a dash of sugar if you like it a little sweeter and a little less tart!

*Be sure to use culinary lavender Lavandula angustifolia. Provence or English Lavender are popular choices. Some varieties such as Lavadin contain camphor oil better used for non-culinary purposes.

Note: This information has not been reviewed by the FDA. This information has been provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. You should always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health routine.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

BY Erika Yigzaw, ACHS CIOAre there magic foods that we can eat all day and still
lose weight? Not really. But there are some foods that are relatively
low in calories yet have high nutritive value, either because they are
high in fiber, phytonutrients such as antioxidants, or high in protein.
These are foods to keep handy in the pantry, refrigerator, or garden and
eat daily. Train your family – particularly children – to snack on
these top ten foods rather than chips and sodas and you’ll be ahead of
the nutrition curve before you know it!

To pick these top ten foods, I looked at nutritional value, energy
density[1], and volume. I want to focus on foods that provide a lot of
bang for the buck (i.e., keep us full and have high nutritional value
with fewer calories than other choices). Fruits and vegetables with lots
of water are often lower energy density[2] , but my primary criteria
for the list is fiber. Why? Fiber is critical. Remember your grandmother
telling you to eat more “roughage”? Well she was right! We need at
least 25 grams a day, and ideally 35 grams a day, for a healthy bowel. I
think the correlation between high fiber diets and lower cancer rates
is not just from fiber but is synergistic, since most high fiber diets
are high in fruits and vegetables, which are also high in antioxidants
and other phytonutrients. But, fiber is clearly also very important and
few Americans get enough.

Here is my current top ten list of high fiber low calorie foods:

Raspberries rank as one of the highest high fiber low calorie foods, at 8.0 grams of fiber and just 64 calories per serving (1-cup) (1 calorie per raspberry!)[3, 4]. They are delicious and we can grow our own here in Oregon! Yay!

Pears have about 5.1 grams of fiber and only 51 calories for a medium sized pear[5]. They are easy to pack in a lunch and store well. They are also easy to grow here in Oregon.

Apples provide about 4.4 grams of fiber, at roughly 55 calories for a small apple. Choose organic as apples are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012[6]. Apples are easy to grow here in Oregon and many parts of the US, with the newer columnar varieties letting you grow pounds of fruit in a small garden or even a container!

Blueberries provide about 3.5 grams of fiber, and roughly 40 calories for 50 berries. Choose organic as blueberries are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012[7]. Again, blueberries grow well here in the Pacific North West, although take a few years to fruit well. Mulch with wood chips as they love acidic soil.

Strawberries provide about 3.3 grams of fiber and average about 2 calories per strawberry. Choose organic as strawberries are on the EWG dirty dozen list 2012[8]. Grow even a few strawberry plants in a barrel or tuck them into ornamental garden beds where the foliage stays a lovely dark green throughout the summer while providing you with berries!

Black beans – 1 cup has 15 grams of fiber – along with 15 grams of protein – and just 227 calories[9]

Whole-wheat spaghetti weighs in at 6.3 g of fiber per serving and approximately 174 calories per 1-cup serving (always check the label as brands vary)

One cup of oatmeal provides 4.0 grams of fiber and about 60 calories per serving

Whole wheat or multigrain breads offer 1.9 grams per slice and about 65 calories per slice (always check the label as brands vary)

Cooked peas, at a whopping 8.8 g of fiber and a low 67 calories per cup serving size. Turn a cup of peas into instant soup with a stick blender and some vegetable stock.

So that’s our top ten, but there are some other notable additions:

Boiled turnip greens, which offer about 5.0 grams of fiber per cup sized serving and about 48 calories

Raw carrots offer 1.7 grams of fiber and 21 calories for a small carrot. Raw, fresh carrots are about 88 percent water.

Broccoli has 5.1 g of fiber and about 52 calories per cup. Steamed broccoli is best for cholesterol lowering benefits. 100 calories of broccoli gives you 10 grams of fiber!

Grapefruit is about 90 percent water, and one contains approximately 3.4 grams of fiber – more than 13 percent of your daily fiber needs – and about the same amount as a cup of strawberries, cabbage, cauliflower or beets. The amount of fiber in one grapefruit exceeds that found in a banana or in 1 cup of celery or bell peppers. An entire grapefruit has just 78 calories. Grapefruit also contains vitamin C and pectin[10]. Good news too – grapefruit is on the EWG clean fifteen list – meaning they are one of the 15 produce items lowest in pesticides[11]!

Raisins, which provide 1.6 grams of fiber per 1.5 ounce serving and roughly 42 calories for a 5-ounce box. Note that grapes have more volume for the same fiber and calories so are an excellent choice! Grapes are another dirty dozen item so choose organic!

Just one cup of barley has 13.6 grams of fiber in 270 calories – add a cup of barley to your vegetable soup for a hearty winter way to increase fiber! Plus barley is a great source of selenium[12]!

What are foods to leave out?

Canned baked beans – a favorite in New Zealand and the United Kingdom – pack a lot of fiber per serving, but also lots of sugar and sodium.

Processed foods – yes a processed food with added fiber is better than one without, but stick to the foods that mother nature made high in fiber for optimum health.

Act: Using your favorite app (mine is MyFitnessPal available on the app store and at myfitnesspal.com) track your food intake and see how much fiber you’re really getting! Try a fiber day and see how much you can pack in!

Share: What are your favorite foods? Check their fiber and calorie content and add a comment!

NOTE: This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. This information has been provided for educational purposes only and is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent disease. Always consult your primary care physician or natuopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health routine.